okay.. this is not helping lower the blood pressure..
so... we are the "ruled" while they are the "rulers" ?? 
Title : Will we see a new deal
between the ruler and the
ruled?
Date : 16 April 2007 1045 hrs (SST)
URL :
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/270580/1/.html
Expect a good lawyer to cut out the verbiage, zoom in on the
heartbeat of an issue and articulate it in language that is clear
and emotionless.
K Shanmugam didnt disappoint. I cannot think of another issue
where there is such a disconnect between what is really the correct
policy and how the public view that policy, the long-standing MP
told Parliament last week.
But he shouldnt have wondered aloud. It was really a no-brainer
because the timing of an increase of about $400,000 a year in the
starting salaries of ministers soon after a GST hike, despite the
payouts to offset the increase, and a $30 increase a month in aid
for the poor was just, well, off centre.
Apart from the timing, the three-day debate took on a life of its
own, both inside and outside Parliament, with new points being
brought up by the government ministers and each one being countered
with another.
Linking economic growth to ministers performance got MPs rushing
to speak.
How does the Health Minister, for instance, see his ministrys good
performance linked to GDP, asked Denise Phua.
Corruption, one main reason given when the benchmarking of
ministers salary was first raised more than a decade ago, was
hardly mentioned this time round.
Then, the fact that pensions are still being paid to some political
office-holders got dragged in with Minister Teo Chee Hean trying to
explain the historical backdrop for this perk and finally
responding to calls for a re-look by saying: It is quite a
complicated exercise but well have a look and see whether it can
be done and how it can be done.
And when the PM wrapped up the session on Wednesday, he put in
sharper focus another reason for the pay increase when he framed it
this way: It is not to take care of this Cabinet, but to make sure
Singapore has a strong group of future leaders.
Even the decision to donate his salary increases for five years had
a counter: This was a sweetener to make the decision more
palatable, even though Minister for Community Development, Youth
and Sports Dr Vivian Balakrishnan told reporters the PM had made up
his mind some time ago.
With clarity of purpose being pushed out of and onto the House
floor, the debate missed two issues which are likely to decide what
kind of society we want to be.
One, leadership. Will young Singaporeans see leadership in the
home, government and their place of work as a privilege or as a
burden?
Are the types of leaders like Minister of State Balaji Sadasivan,
who missed the boat to become a full minister but did not want to
go back to his former job as a neurosurgeon despite the PM offering
him that choice, a rarity in a money-chasing Singapore?
He must have seen leadership as a privilege, a calling. Search high
and low and getting such individuals is not impossible.
Two, how will the rules between the ruler and ruled be re-defined
with this gruelling debate?
With a Lee Kuan Yew, it was trust me and I will make you all first
world citizens. With a Goh Chok Tong, the mantra was trust me and
I will make this society not just a first world country but a
kinder and gentler one.
Singaporeans, in most instances, bought the arguments without much
of a quarrel.
With a Lee Hsien Loong at the helm, what will that one line
be?
He, his ministers and MPs can expect the citizens to ask more of
them.
Expect Singaporeans to be more demanding at meet-the-people
sessions, ministries information counters and other places where
contact with the public is very close. That 40-year-old social
handshake between the government and the governed will come under
scrutiny. With some grassroots leaders, that vital link to the
citizens, already signalling difficulties in explaining the salary
decision with clarity and a sense of mission, PM Lee and his team
have their job cut out for the next four/five years.
And in those four/five years, good GDP figures may not be the only
magic answer. Making sure the good times roll down to those people
feeling trapped in their individual circumstances must be one
KPI.
If the PM swings this one, then expect a new deal to be signed,
sealed and delivered. That can only be good for Singapore. -
TODAY/ra
